Helping rebuild a village in Mykolaiv
I have arrived safely in Zaporizhzhia. Apparently two missiles hit the city last night, but I slept through them. I haven’t achieved much yet except to be fed by my friends and sort out my Ukrainian SIM card, which wasn’t working. However…
… the villagers of Luch in Mykolaiv Oblast have been busy. Their homes were destroyed by the russians during the occupation, but thanks to a grant from the BEARR Trust, Freefilmers were able to buy them building tools like power drills, angle grinders, wheelbarrows and a cement mixer, which Sashko delivered to them last week. Today they held a ‘subotnik’, which is when everyone in a community comes together to do practical work on a day off, and supplied us with pictures.
Freefilmers – for people new to this blog, this is the name of my Ukrainian friends’ humanitarian NGO, which was previously a network of indie filmmakers – also supplied the people of Luch with medicine, blood pressure monitors, sewing machines and gardening tools. Plus second-hand laptops which I collect in the UK and the radio resistance guys here repair and upgrade.
All this together will make a big difference to a devastated community.
I don’t want to spend all my time on this blog pushing ‘donation opportunities’ but obviously money is key here. As well as substack paid subscription options (though it’s always free to read) I have a JustGiving specifically for humanitarian aid of this kind. Unlike aid agencies, with their large overheads, every penny I/we receive goes directly to purchase vital equipment, or to pay for petrol/postage to deliver it to the affected areas. I’m happy to answer any questions about how Freefilmers operates.
The news is pretty grim lately, but we are not helpless to act.
I am seeing a lot of beautiful smiles. These people are indomitable.
Thanks! Yes, there have been about three in the city since I arrived, I think. I only heard one. It's mostly south, towards the front line. I hope you're having a good trip.